Harder To Let Go
by Pikaskye
Summary: Natsu was always looking out for Lucy, and he knew if he repeated the words that she said it would hurt her more. WARNING: character death. Rated T for blood.


**IM SO SORRY! **

**Warning; character death ahead. I don't own FT.**

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He didn't know when his feelings began to come out. Maybe it was when she held onto him as they fell over a waterfall. Maybe it was the battle with Hades, feeling her quivering arms tighten around him. Maybe it was when Acnologia came, and she was grasping his hand, praying for survival. Maybe it was when she fell from the Infinity Clock, and he made a flying leap to catch her.

He didn't know.

Natsu shuddered, opening his eyes to look at the beautiful Celestial Spirit mage above him, begging for him to wake up. "Lu... cy." He bit off more than he could chew this time. The dark mage had made a giant cut on his side, soaking his shredded vest with blood. He's managed to defeat him, but soon after, he collapsed on the ground.

_ I guess Lucy finally found me. _"Hey Luce..." he heaved, shuddering, coughing up metallic blood. "Why are you... crying? Don't... cry." the girl shook her head and the tears still came. He lifted his hand and wiped them off her cheeks as best as he could.

"D-don't. Don't speak." She protested. "Wendy will be here soon, save your energy."

"Like I... ever listen to you..." he meant to joke, but the expression on her face turned more miserable. He liked seeing her smile, and he hated himself for making her frown.

"W-Why did y-you fight that... m-mage on your own, Natsu?" she asked, trembling violently. Her chocolate orbs glistened with tears. "We could have beaten him together and you wouldn't be—" she broke off, sobbing. She knew it was too late. Wendy was on the other side of the labyrinth, and by the time she got there, he would be gone. Endless amount of bandages wouldn't work either. But she could pretend.

"Come on, Luce... it isn't like you to... doubt my abilities..." he murmured, moving his hand to ruffle her hair. It left a streak of red in her bright, golden blonde hair.

"And it isn't like you to get hurt like this!" she snapped, immediately recoiling, tears threatening to spill.

The fallen Dragon Slayer coughed again. Lucy wiped away the blood that fell on his cheeks. Her skirt and legs were completely red, but she didn't care. She would swim in a fountain of blood if it brought him back. She would do anything to bring him back. She wished that it was her, lying on the ground, half dead, rather than him.

Lucy never imagined a life without her Dragon Slayer "I... I wonder if we would have been happy together..." she cried softly, taking his hand. She hated that it wasn't warm. Natsu was always warm, but now his hand was barely pulsing with the beat of life. "I can't imagine a life without you Natsu. You're a fiery, moron, idiot..."

"But I think I've fallen in love with you." Natsu looked up, startled, but the effort proved too much and he coughed again. He remained silent.

Lucy looked at the wound on his stomach, the seemingly never-ending spurt of blood. What she wouldn't give to stop it. She began crying again, tears spilling over her cheeks because she couldn't do anything.

Natsu watched sadly as the girl burst into tears. He knew he was dying. He felt his life-source fading away, but he lifted himself and hugged her as best as he could. Lucy clutched onto him, not daring to let him go, knowing that he shouldn't have used his energy like that but he wouldn't have listened anyway.

Because that was Natsu. Her stupid, dense, idiot of a Dragon Slayer that managed to destroy every building that he walked into, just by being a klutz. His rose-coloured hair, his determined onyx eyes, the scarf he always wore around his neck, they were all part of him. She hated that his hair was stained red from his blood. She hated that his deep black eyes, so very hard not to show emotion, were losing their spark. She hated that his scarf had fallen somewhere in the battle, so _not_ on his neck, so unfamiliar to fresh air that he always complained if it wasn't there.

The Dragon Slayer smiled tightly, at least knowing that he'd die in her arms. _I can't tell her. it would only make it harder to let go. I can't do that to Luce._

The life in his eyes slowly faded, the ever-strong flame flickered and finally extinguished.

_I love you, Lucy Heartfilia._

The girl turned to look at him when she felt his chest stop heaving, chocolate orbs wide. "N-Natsu?"

No response.

"NATSU!" she screamed, sobbing into his shoulder, hugging his limp body. Lucy screamed into his neck. She poured all of her remaining energy screaming in the empty room, because Natsu was dead and left her all alone.

She cried, because the love of her life was gone.

Erza, Gray, Happy, Carla, and Wendy found the two lying in the empty room, Lucy clutching his corpse to her chest.

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***Sobs* I'm sorry guys! I'm evil. Curse my name, I deserve it. Why did I have to write something like this? T^T **


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